About
Toy Design . Character Design . 3D Illustration . Fiber Art
Maria Filipe Castro, also known as droolwool, is a character and toy designer and fiber artist from Portugal, whose work lives at the intersection of cute, quirky and heartfelt.
Blending traditional fiber art with digital tools, she creates playful, emotionally charged characters inspired by toddlers, food, and the natural world. Her creations, either needle felted or sculpted in Blender, are soft, expressive, and full of personality, with a strong focus on color, form, and storytelling.
Maria’s work has been featured in toy art galleries, she teaches needle felting on Domestika, and recently lent her visual imagination to an animated TV series (still under wraps). Her piece Happy Tears Cloud was a finalist in the Designer Toy Awards, and she’s shared her process and inspirations on the Pictoplasma stage.
Whether she’s making toys, collectibles, or illustrations, Maria builds vibrant, welcoming worlds one character at a time.
Blending traditional fiber art with digital tools, she creates playful, emotionally charged characters inspired by toddlers, food, and the natural world. Her creations, either needle felted or sculpted in Blender, are soft, expressive, and full of personality, with a strong focus on color, form, and storytelling.
Maria’s work has been featured in toy art galleries, she teaches needle felting on Domestika, and recently lent her visual imagination to an animated TV series (still under wraps). Her piece Happy Tears Cloud was a finalist in the Designer Toy Awards, and she’s shared her process and inspirations on the Pictoplasma stage.
Whether she’s making toys, collectibles, or illustrations, Maria builds vibrant, welcoming worlds one character at a time.
Clients:
Exhibitions:
- "Atelier Open", Group exhibition, Atelier Beside the Sea, Brighton, UK, July 2022
- " Crazy 4 Cult ", Group exhibition, Gallery 1988, Los Angeles, USA, August 2021
- " 50th Anniversary of Wonka ", Group exhibition, Gallery 1988, Los Angeles, USA, February 2021
- " Gift Wrapped 2020 ", Group exhibition, Clutter Gallery, NYC, USA, December 2020
- " The Familiar show ", Custom art group show, Horrible Adorables / Woot Bear Gallery, San Francisco, USA, August 2020
- " Food Fight ", Group exhibition, Mothership Toy Gallery, Philadelphia, USA, March 2020
- " Gift Wrapped 2019 " , Group exhibition, Clutter Gallery, NYC, USA, December 2019
- " Winter Salon IX ", Group exhibition, Stranger Factory Gallery , New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, December 2019
- " Toy Makers of Planet Earth II ", Group exhibition, Stranger Factory Gallery, New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, June 2019
- " Play with your FOOD ", Group exhibition, Mothership Toy Gallery, Philadelphia, USA, March 2019
- " Love Bug ", Group exhibition, Mothership Toy Gallery, Philadelphia, USA, February 2019
- " Gift Wrapped 2018 " , Group exhibition, Clutter Gallery, NYC, USA, December 2018
- " Winter Salon VIII ", Group exhibition, Stranger Factory Gallery , New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, December 2018
- " Bewitching VIII " , Group exhibition, Stranger Factory Gallery, New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, October 2018
- " Plush the Limits", Group exhibition, Mothership Art Gallery, Philadelphia, USA, September 2018
- " Toy Makers of Planet Earth " - Group exhibition, Stranger Factory Gallery , New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, June 2018
- " Gift Wrapped 2017 " , Group exhibition, Clutter Gallery, NYC, USA, December 2017
- " Stitched 2 ", Group exhibition, Clutter Gallery, NYC, USA, May 2017
- " Kute As Fuh " , Group exhibition, PIQ, NYC. USA, July 2015
- " Crazy 4 Cult ", Group exhibition, Gallery 1988, Los Angeles, USA, August 2021
- " 50th Anniversary of Wonka ", Group exhibition, Gallery 1988, Los Angeles, USA, February 2021
- " Gift Wrapped 2020 ", Group exhibition, Clutter Gallery, NYC, USA, December 2020
- " The Familiar show ", Custom art group show, Horrible Adorables / Woot Bear Gallery, San Francisco, USA, August 2020
- " Food Fight ", Group exhibition, Mothership Toy Gallery, Philadelphia, USA, March 2020
- " Gift Wrapped 2019 " , Group exhibition, Clutter Gallery, NYC, USA, December 2019
- " Winter Salon IX ", Group exhibition, Stranger Factory Gallery , New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, December 2019
- " Toy Makers of Planet Earth II ", Group exhibition, Stranger Factory Gallery, New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, June 2019
- " Play with your FOOD ", Group exhibition, Mothership Toy Gallery, Philadelphia, USA, March 2019
- " Love Bug ", Group exhibition, Mothership Toy Gallery, Philadelphia, USA, February 2019
- " Gift Wrapped 2018 " , Group exhibition, Clutter Gallery, NYC, USA, December 2018
- " Winter Salon VIII ", Group exhibition, Stranger Factory Gallery , New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, December 2018
- " Bewitching VIII " , Group exhibition, Stranger Factory Gallery, New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, October 2018
- " Plush the Limits", Group exhibition, Mothership Art Gallery, Philadelphia, USA, September 2018
- " Toy Makers of Planet Earth " - Group exhibition, Stranger Factory Gallery , New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, June 2018
- " Gift Wrapped 2017 " , Group exhibition, Clutter Gallery, NYC, USA, December 2017
- " Stitched 2 ", Group exhibition, Clutter Gallery, NYC, USA, May 2017
- " Kute As Fuh " , Group exhibition, PIQ, NYC. USA, July 2015
Events:
- Speaker at 1st Pictoplasma in Isolation , Online conference, Berlin, Germany, September 2020
- Toy Con UK, UK, 2018
- New York Comic Con, USA,2017
- Toy Con UK, UK, 2018
- New York Comic Con, USA,2017
Blog Features:
Nvidia Studio Standouts / The Toy Chronicle / Zona Toys Blog / The Toy Chronicle / The Toy Chronicle / Bacánika / The Toy Chronicle / Format Magazine
The Toy Chronicle / Mr X Stich - Felter Skelter / The Toy Chronicle / Creative Boom / Mr X Stitch / My Modern Met Selects
The Toy Chronicle / Brown Paper Bag / Plastic and Plush / Plastic and Plush / TUTS + / The Toy Chronicle / Mr X Stich - Felter Skelter
The Toy Chronicle / Mr X Stich - Felter Skelter / The Toy Chronicle / Creative Boom / Mr X Stitch / My Modern Met Selects
The Toy Chronicle / Brown Paper Bag / Plastic and Plush / Plastic and Plush / TUTS + / The Toy Chronicle / Mr X Stich - Felter Skelter
Editorial Features:
- Make & Sew Toys, Issue 12, February 2022
- Felt Matters, International Felt Makers Association Magazine, Issue 145, December 2021
- Pictoplasma, Magazine for Character Design and Art #1 Face Value, Spring 2021
- Frankie Magazine Australia, Issue 77, 2017
- TEXWORLD Paris, Messe Frankfurt, Inspiration book, Spring / Summer 2018 (2017)
- ELLE STIJLBIJBEL Netherlands 2014
- Felt Matters, International Felt Makers Association Magazine, Issue 145, December 2021
- Pictoplasma, Magazine for Character Design and Art #1 Face Value, Spring 2021
- Frankie Magazine Australia, Issue 77, 2017
- TEXWORLD Paris, Messe Frankfurt, Inspiration book, Spring / Summer 2018 (2017)
- ELLE STIJLBIJBEL Netherlands 2014
Collaborations :
Competitions:
- 10th Annual Designer Toy Awards Finalist, Nominated for Best Non-Plastic, 2021
- Pictoplasma's Call for Entries "Character Flags" winner, 2021
- Pictoplasma's Call for Entries "Bunny Reloaded" winner , 2018
- Pictoplasma's Call for Entries "Character Flags" winner, 2021
- Pictoplasma's Call for Entries "Bunny Reloaded" winner , 2018
Education:
- 1996/2002 Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, Portugal, in Sculpture
- 2000/2000 Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France in Sculpture
- 2000/2000 Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France in Sculpture